Fordham Basketball

Fordham has been losing games for a long time. Still, it's hard to think of a worse loss than the one that occurred last Sunday when UMass Lowell came into the Rose Hill Gym and handed the Rams their third straight defeat.

After falling at Penn State and Maryland, the matchup with the River Hawks was supposed to be a redemption game for Fordham—the first of four in a row at home that all seemed winnable. 

Instead, Fordham turned in a clunker. It led 13-4 early, then the teams exchanged leads throughout the night, until UMass Lowell pulled in front by as many as 12 in the second half and defeated the Rams, 64-57.

"This is not a good one, I'm not going to lie to you," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said in his opening remarks to the media after the game.

"We came off a game at Maryland where we played really hard and really well. And [there was] none of that tonight. I didn't see the intensity. I didn't see the toughness.

"Hopefully it's a lesson learned [for] these young players. Winning Division I basketball games against anybody is a tough thing. If winning was easy, everybody would do it."

The Rams have seven freshmen and only three upperclassmen playing significant minutes each night. They're young, and it's showing.

"We're playing like an immature, young team," Pecora said. "Our veterans have to help us in the process of maturing these guys."

"We have a lot of growing up to do," he added.

While you'd be justified if you pulled out the inexperience card, Pecora wasn't having any of that after Sunday's loss.

"I'm not here to make excuses," he said. "It's on me. I have to find a way to get these guys motivated. When we lose, it's me." 

Just a few minutes after one of the worst losses you could imagine, Pecora was talking about what he needs to do to fix things. For two decades, this program has been looking to the future. It's only natural then for Pecora to talk about tomorrow.

"My job is to make sure that we have a spirited practice [Monday] and that these guys learn how to compete," he said.

"I've always had teams that played hard and competed," Pecora added. "Nothing strikes a chord with me or any coach, in my opinion, more than that. [They] need to realize that you're not going to get what you want out of life, you're going to get what you deserve."

After three losses, none worse than the one suffered Sunday, what Pecora and his staff deserve is a little patience. Having eight underclassmen who are being counted on to produce is going to result in some growing pains.

A little understanding is in order as well. Nobody wants to win more than Pecora does. It's why he's in early and out late. It's why he thinks about Fordham basketball 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's why he took this job in the first place—all things considered, one of the toughest in the nation.

The Rose Hill Gym had a palpable feel to it Sunday night. Shock. Horror. Disappointment. You name the emotion, it was there to be felt. That's the product of 20 years of too many losses.

It may have been the lowest point, but it's not the time to give up on the coach, or on the team. Saturday is right around the corner, and here comes Maryland Eastern Shore, another winnable game. 

And just like Sunday and every game before it, nobody wants this one more than Pecora, and nobody will work harder to get it.

"Every game's a must-win in my eyes," he said after the loss to UMass Lowell. "You have to go out and win every game.

"It's not OK to lose. You have to bring it every night. That's what college basketball's all about." 

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Follow him on Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora told Bleacher Report 90 minutes before tip-off Sunday that center Ryan Canty will redshirt this season and return to the Rams as a fifth-year senior in 2015-16.

According to Pecora, the decision was ultimately made by the doctors who performed back surgery on Canty in September. Bleacher Report first reported on Canty's injury in August. At that time, it was thought he'd be out for at least the first month of the season.

Canty was expected to have a major impact this year. He would've been one of only two seniors trying to help guide a young team with seven freshmen. At 6'9" he brought much-needed size and ability to the court. And, late last season, he seemed to be coming into his own.

Canty had 10 or more rebounds in five of the Rams' final six games. In the regular-season finale against George Washington, he pulled down 16, then grabbed 19 in the play-in game of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Canty took a leave of absence early in the 2013-14 season which resulted in him missing six games. This year he was hoping to continue the progress he made down the stretch a season ago.

In late August, on the day the Rams left for their trip to Canada, Canty told B/R he hoped to return "stronger [and better]" after surgery. His back has been an issue throughout his college career. Now, his return is a full year away.

Without Canty, Fordham's losing streak is now at three after UMass Lowell came into the Rose Hill Gym Sunday evening and shocked the Rams, 64-57. After back-to-back losses at Penn State and Maryland, Fordham returned home for the first of four games, looking to pick up a much-needed win against an opponent certainly not on the level of what it'll see once conference play begins in January.

UMass Lowell had a 25-24 lead at halftime. After a series of lead changes in the second half, the River Hawks went up by 11 with 6:26 to go. Following a timeout, the Rams showed some life but eventually found themselves trailing by 12 with less than two minutes to play.

Fordham started fouling with 1:40 left. The River Hawks couldn't hit a free throw (7-for-26 on the night), but the Rams didn't have much success on the offensive end, shooting 33.9 percent from the floor for the game (5-for-27 from three-point range) and struggling to hit a shot when they needed one most in the final couple of minutes.

Sometimes injuries, or injury news, can overshadow whatever happens on the court. Last night's loss overshadows everything.

Afterward, Pecora called the loss embarrassing.

"They wanted it more than we did," he said. He added, "This is not a good one, I'm not going to lie to you."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Follow him on Twitter: @CFCostello.

Fordham lost twice this week in back-to-back games on the road against Big Ten opponents.

After a 94-77 win over the New York Institute of Technology in the season opener, the last two games served as a reminder that nothing will come easy this season—not that anything has ever been easy—with eight underclassmen who could see significant time, a schedule that includes 18 games against Atlantic 10 teams and the just-completed trips to Penn State and Maryland.

Last Sunday against Penn State, just two days after its win over NYIT, Fordham took an early 10-5 lead, but the Nittany Lions responded with an 11-0 run and led 38-21 at the half. The Rams trailed by as many as 25 in the second half and lost 73-54.

"Life with seven freshmen is interesting," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said after the Penn State loss, according to FordhamSports.com. "We've got to use this game as a learning experience and take something from it as we move on."

Four days later Fordham was in Maryland, where the Terrapins, now 3-0, continued their hot start to the season with a 66-50 win over the Rams. Fordham kept it close in the first half, trailing by just five at the break, but Maryland would pull away in the second half for a 66-50 win.

"They're good. We knew they were good. We had great respect for them," Pecora said about Maryland in postgame remarks, reported by FordhamSports.com. "I thought we played really hard considering we didn't have Eric Paschall and Antwoine Anderson. The guys played real hard, and they competed."

Despite the two losses, there was some good news this past week, as Paschall was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after scoring 31 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in Fordham's opener. The 31 points he scored against NYIT set a school record for most points scored by a freshman in his debut.

At 1-2, there's some relief in sight. Fordham's next four games against UMass Lowell, Maryland Eastern Shore, Siena and Monmouth, all at home, are games it can win. Then there's the two against local rivals St. John's (Madison Square Garden) and Manhattan (Barclays Center), before Howard and South Carolina State come to Rose Hill. Fordham won't leave New York City until it travels to Rhode Island on Jan. 7.

As tough as the games were at Penn State and Maryland, it's good to have those in the rearview mirror. It will be important for the Rams to get healthy, as that's been one of the big storylines of the season so far.

Paschall didn't make the trip to Maryland after undergoing medical tests. Before the game, WFUV Sports reported that he had an irregular heartbeat.

Rams Guard Eric Paschall will miss tonight's game at Maryland after an irregular heartbeat was discovered during a Tuesday physical.

— WFUV Sports (@wfuvsports) November 20, 2014

It's expected that he'll rejoin the team at practice Friday.

Paschall underwent tests Wednesday & Thursday and was cleared by doctors after they came back normal. He'll practice with the team tomorrow.

— WFUV Sports (@wfuvsports) November 20, 2014

The injury bug has definitely hit Fordham hard.

Anderson was a game-time decision opening night, played just five minutes at Penn State and sat out the game at Maryland with a groin injury. Point guard Nemanja Zarkovic has been battling a hip injury for some time, though he's been able to play through it. Manny Suarez, who didn't play in the opener, played a season-high 20 minutes Thursday night. He had shoulder surgery in July. Ryan Canty, one of only two seniors, is out indefinitely following back surgery.

The Rams dressed just 12 players Thursday. Eventually, one would think, they're going to get healthy.

On the non-injury front, Jon Severe, who was suspended for a week due to a violation of team rules, has appeared in the last two games but has played only 22 minutes combined and has only two points in those games.

You have to think that Fordham can take advantage of a long stretch of games at home over the next month-and-a-half. There will be challenges, but no back-to-back scenarios on the road against teams from power conferences.

Time to look ahead.

Statistics, game information and quotes courtesy of FordhamSports.com.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham opened its season Friday night with a convincing 94-77 win over the New York Institute of Technology in front of 1,368 at the Rose Hill Gym.

The Rams jumped out to an 11-0 lead, played spotty defense that helped allow the Bears to climb back in the game and then went on a 15-4 run to close out the first half, taking a 51-38 lead into the break. In the second half, they led by as many as 28. Fordham never trailed in this game.

Eric Paschall, the Rams' top recruit, didn't disappoint in his first college game. He had 22 points and seven rebounds in the first half and finished the game with 31 points and 10 boards, setting a Fordham record for most points scored by a freshman in his debut.

"Eric's performance tonight was a special one," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said. 

When he wasn't knocking down three-pointers (he was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc), he was taking the ball coast-to-coast. When he wasn't posting up defenders, he was providing highlight-reel dunks that literally shook the gym.

The freshman looked like a seasoned veteran. He looked as good as advertised.

"Coaches put me in the right place and my teammates found me," Paschall said. "It gives me confidence to know that I can go out there and play and that Coach Pecora and my teammates have trust in me."

Paschall may have stolen the show—early, often and late—but he didn't do it alone.

Ryan Rhoomes chipped in with 12 points and 13 rebounds; Christian Sengfelder, a freshman, added 17 points and seven rebounds; Mandell Thomas (14 points) and Bryan Smith (11 points) also scored in double figures; Point guard Nemanja Zarkovic, another freshman, recorded six assists without a turnover.

"The game served its purpose," Pecora said. "They're a good Division II basketball team. I wanted to play a home game. I wanted us to have some success, work out the kinks with seven freshmen." 

"We have a lot to work on defensively. We have a lot to work on execution wise," Pecora added. "We found a way to win. We defended when it mattered."

The Rams were shorthanded for their opener. Jon Severe, who averaged 17.3 points per game as a freshman last season, was suspended for a week. He'll be back at practice today and is expected to play his first game Sunday.

Ryan Canty, a senior center, is out indefinitely following back surgery. There were injuries to contend with as well. Zarkovic (hip) and redshirt freshman Antwoine Anderson (groin) aren't at full strength, but both played. Manny Suarez, another redshirt freshman, who had surgery on his shoulder in July, has been practicing but did not play.

"We had so many guys dinged up," Pecora said. "Yesterday we were concerned we might go in with six scholarship players." 

Fordham has little time to enjoy this one. On Sunday, the Rams will play at Penn State, and next Thursday, they're at Maryland—back-to-back games against Big Ten teams before returning home next Sunday to face UMass Lowell.

Pecora said he'd be in early Saturday morning to watch tape of Penn State's 61-48 win over Morgan State last night.

"We'll get ready tomorrow," Pecora said. "It's a big first week for us."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello.

Fordham opens its 2014-15 season at home tomorrow night against the New York Institute of Technology. But three players who are still months away from arriving on campus made news Wednesday.

Matt Zignorski, Jesse Bunting and Joseph Chartouny, who all verbally committed over the last few months, signed National Letters of Intent with Fordham, Bleacher Report has learned. The three will join the Rams in 2015.

Zignorski is a 6'3" combo guard from Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta Township, New Jersey. According to The Star-Ledger, he averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game in his junior season.

When reached by Bleacher Report after he verbally committed in July, Zignorski described himself as "a very versatile offensive player." 

"I have the ability to bring the ball up, run the point, direct an offense, get people shots and distribute the ball," he said. "But I can also shoot the ball. I can run off screens."

Bunting, a 6'8" forward from Tabor Academy in Massachusetts, gave Fordham his verbal commitment in September. Chris Millette, the head coach at Tabor, complimented Bunting on his "motor," telling Bleacher Report he has "such a big upside."

"He’s incredibly athletic," Millette added. "For his size he can dribble, rebound and go coast-to-coast."

Chartouny is a 6'3" point guard from Montreal's College Jean-de-Brebeuf, where he was teammates with Nemanja Zarkovic, the Rams' freshman point guard. His coach, Mike Chmielewski, said the two guards possess similar intangibles.

"He is probably the most talented connector I've coached," Chmielewski said in an interview with Bleacher Report after Chartouny verbally committed in September. "By connecting I mean a guy that has an ability of connecting the team together, getting guys to play at a higher level... He's a talented scorer, but he prefers setting people up."

On paper, it appears Fordham has done pretty well with this group: versatile guards with a team-first mentality and a forward with size who's athletic. It's not hard to envision these three fitting in.

This year, of the players expected to see significant minutes, Fordham will suit up seven freshmen (including two redshirts), one sophomore and just three upperclassmen.

Next year, Zignorski, Bunting and Chartouny will join a young roster trying to become a contender in the Atlantic 10.

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham University's Jon Severe has been suspended for one week due to a violation of team rules, the school announced on Saturday.

Severe will miss Friday's opener against the New York Institute of Technology and will rejoin the team next Saturday.

The sophomore guard averaged 17.3 points per game as a freshman. Last month, he was named third team All-Conference by Atlantic 10 coaches and media.

His absence means increased roles for senior Bryan Smith and junior Mandell Thomas—two players who were already expected to make significant contributions this year.

"It was great competition for those minutes prior to Jon being suspended," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora told Bleacher Report earlier today. "He might have been coming off the bench anyway."

There are a few ways to look at today's news. First, Fordham should be all right on Friday night. NYIT is a Division II school that the Rams should beat. Also, Pecora talked about competition. Guys like Smith and Thomas have been preparing for the season as if they would start—or at least play significant minutes. That would happen with or without Severe in the lineup.

It's the long-term ramifications that are unclear. How will Severe respond to the suspension? Will he learn from it? When he returns, how will he be received by his teammates?

That's for another day, however. After all, the Rams are less than a week away from a new season—one that, despite today's news, is filled with hope.

Fordham began preparing for the 2014-15 season right after it lost to the University of Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament in March. Offseason workouts, a trip to Canada, official practices and scrimmages filled the Rams' calendar over the past eight months.

"Like most coaches, we always want a little more time," Pecora said. "We've had a couple guys in and out with injuries. Getting [everyone] on the floor at the same time has been a challenge.

"We had a good week of practice leading up to today's scrimmage, and, hopefully, we'll have another week to get ourselves healthy and continue to get better."

On Friday night, it starts for real. After NYIT, the Rams will travel to Penn State University and the University of Maryland for back-to-back games on the road against Big Ten opponents. It will be a challenge, but Pecora said he wants his players to focus on "one thing at a time." That means getting ready for the season opener.

"It's about winning on Friday night," Pecora said. "With any team, especially with young teams, you really have to keep them locked in on short-term goals."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello.

Fordham University announced earlier this week that beginning in 2015 it would offer four-year athletic scholarships to all student-athletes. Like many universities across the country, the school currently offers one-year renewable scholarships.

Fordham Athletics to Offer Four-Year Scholarships #FeartheRam http://t.co/FGwdIRxKhN

— Fordham Athletics (@FordhamRams) November 3, 2014

"All incoming freshmen for the class of 2019 will sign letters of intent that guarantee the student-athlete a scholarship for four years, provided the student-athlete continues to participate in the sport for which the grant is awarded and the student-athlete adheres to all eligibility requirements," Fordham announced via press release. "The student-athlete must remain in good academic standing, and abide by all University regulations."

With the move, Fordham joins a growing number of schools and conferences that have made similar decisions. In October, for example, the Big Ten announced that it would guarantee scholarships for four years.

“To make a four-year commitment and give student-athletes the security, it’s the right thing to do," said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, according to Ben Strauss of The New York Times.

Others have followed suit. The Times article identified Indiana, South Carolina and USC as schools switching to the four-year scholarship. According to the article, the Pac-12 said it would, too, and the ACC added its support.

Fordham made its announcement at a time when the landscape of college sports is changing dramatically. In a Bleacher Report article in August, Fordham athletic director David Roach said that the university will do what it can to "keep up" with other schools, specifically mentioning those in the Big 5 conferences (Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern) who generate the most headlines and revenue and have the most influence as a result.

Offering four-year scholarships would seem to be consistent with what Roach told B/R. 

"This new policy affirms Fordham University's support of its student-athletes," Roach said in Monday's press release. "We are committed to providing our student-athletes with the best possible experience, both on and off the field. This decision, along with other[s] such as the creation [of the] Fordham Leadership Academy, will help our student-athletes now and in the future."

It could also help men's basketball, the school's marquee program.

Though it seems logical to think that at some point down the road that most if not all schools will adopt a similar policy, right now, as CBSSports.com's Jon Solomon reported in September, for various reasons not all of them have.

Maybe a kid chooses Fordham over another school because his four years are going to be guaranteed. Fordham could use every advantage it can get and may now have one over schools that are still handing out scholarships on a year-to-year basis.

Of course, Fordham didn't make this decision thinking it would help win basketball games. It made the decision because the school felt it was the right thing to do for student-athletes.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that someone like Roach, who was the athletic director at Colgate and Brown before coming to Fordham, would first and foremost be thinking about the student-athlete. You don't get a sentence out of Roach without him mentioning the student-athlete. Guys like that tend to work in the Ivy and Patriot Leagues.

Right now he's with Fordham, a school that may have just one-upped some of its competition.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

The Fordham Rams aren't bringing in Phil Jackson to coach the triangle offense. Fordham already has an offensive philosophy and plan in place, and Jackson has enough to do as president of the New York Knicks.

Instead, Jackson will be honored at tonight's annual Tip-Off Dinner at the Grand Hyatt New York.

The annual Tip Off Dinner is Monday! Can't wait to see everyone there, including #basketball legend @PhilJackson11 http://t.co/ZbnzqUj6H0

— FordhamBasketball (@FordhamBball) October 30, 2014

Jackson will be the third recipient of the Johnny Bach Award. Bach coached the Rams for 18 seasons, from 1950 to 1968. He led Fordham to a 265-193 record over that period, taking the Rams to the NCAA tournament in the 1952-53 season and again the following year, and to the National Invitation Tournament five times. Bach is the winningest coach in Fordham history.

He went on to coach in the NBA and served as an assistant under Jackson with the Chicago Bulls.

The award is given annually, described by the university as honoring "an individual who has had a substantial and lasting impact on the sport of basketball and who best emulates Bach's drive and passion for excellence." 

Former New York Knicks center and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing won it in 2012, and P.J. Carlesimo, a graduate of Fordham, won it last year.

Tonight's event comes less than two weeks away from the start of the regular season.

#CollegeHoops season is almost here! #FordhamBasketball pic.twitter.com/c06suPyiit

— FordhamBasketball (@FordhamBball) November 3, 2014

Opening night for Fordham is Nov. 14 when it will host the New York Institute of Technology at the Rose Hill Gym. It will be the first of 11 nonconference games for the Rams, who begin Atlantic 10 play on Jan. 4 against VCU.

Last week, when The Associated Press released its first poll of the season, VCU was ranked No. 15. It will be the first of many challenging games—18 in fact—against conference opponents.

While the triangle offense won't be front and center tonight, it has been a topic of conversation in New York since Jackson was named team president in March. Talk about the offense that Jackson used to win 11 NBA championships as a head coach has only intensified now that the Knicks season is underway.

New York is 2-1 after three games. After the Rams host NYIT, they'll travel to Penn State and Maryland. One would think they'd sign up for a 2-1 start.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello

Fordham's Tom Pecora sat in the stands Saturday, intently watching his Rams in an intrasquad scrimmage. Sitting seven rows up at half court inside the Rose Hill Gym and at times making his way down to the court for instruction and support, Pecora was pleased with a lot of what he saw, telling Bleacher Report it's what he expected from a team in its 14th official practice.

"The good, the bad and the ugly," was how Pecora characterized the scrimmage. "That's usually what early season scrimmages are.

"I saw some good things: flashes from some of the young guys, good leadership out of the veterans, guys understanding what their roles are, greater depth and skill, especially on the baseline."

With Ryan Canty out following back surgery, Fordham will need all the help it can get in the frontcourt. On Saturday, Pecora liked what he got from Ryan Rhoomes, Manny Suarez, Dekeba Battee-Aston and Christian Sengfelder.  

Jon Severe, who made a couple of nice feeds to teammates, looked under control for the most part. The Rams were without guards Nemanja Zarkovic and Antwoine Anderson,who both sat out the scrimmage nursing injuries. 

"I think we're further along than most years because of the Canada trip," Pecora said, referring to the four games the Rams played north of the border in late August. "Having those 10 practices over the summer and having them understand how hard you have to practice, how prepared you need to be each day and then putting in some of the meat and potatoes—the staples of what we do around here—over the summer, sped up the learning curve here in the fall."

Expectations are higher this year, a result of key additions such as Eric Paschall, Zarkovic and Sengfelder, a more mature Severe and what the Rams hope is improved play from their three upperclassmen: Rhoomes, Bryan Smith and Mandell Thomas.

"We've had some rough seasons here, but they never quit," Pecora said about previous teams. "Two years ago we had a seven-win season and won our last game at St. Bonnies. Last year we go into the [Atlantic 10] tournament with nine wins and win against [George] Mason.

"There's never been any quit in them. Whether our talent was where it needed to be, or our depth was where it needed to be, or whatever the issues might be, their effort has never been questioned in my mind."

Pecora talks a lot about how important it is for the Rams to "rebound and run." For that to happen, Fordham has to get it done in two key areas.

"It's always about defense and rebounding," Pecora said. "That's something we talk about as a constant. We have to dominate teams defensively and on the backboards. If we can do that, we can get out and run.

"I think that's how you impose your will on an opponent, through defense and rebounding... especially when we get into the A-10, because you're not going to score off opponents' makes as often."

From the stands or on the court, Pecora feels good about what he's seeing.

"We really haven't had any dud practices yet," he said. "One's coming, but that's pretty good when you go through [14] practices and you really haven't had a dud yet."

Judging by the A-10 preseason poll, voted on by coaches and media, there are those out there who think it's only a matter of time. Fordham was picked to finish last in the conference, something Pecora doesn't spend too much time getting worked up about.

"It's the easy thing to do," he said about the last-place prediction. "It's been that way forever. Probably out of habit, a lot of people put Fordham at the bottom. Do I believe they're wrong? Yes. But now we have to prove that they're wrong. It will make it that much better if we do what I think we can do.

"I think we've gotten significantly better than we were last year."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello